


The Whole World Smiles With You

by natural_by_design



Category: Rune Factory 4
Genre: "slow burn", F/M, Fluff, Pining, Slice of Life, Spoilers!, leon literally just deserves love okay, post arc 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24839566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natural_by_design/pseuds/natural_by_design
Summary: Leon's hopelessly in love with the green-haired warrior princess...who treats everyone with love and affection. Will he convince her to give him a chance? Will she wake up to her own feelings? Will there be more dramatic, rhetorical questions?
Relationships: Frey/Leon (Rune Factory)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	The Whole World Smiles With You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> I'm excited to be posting this, even though I know the fandom is not the biggest. I have loved this game and the franchise for years and years, and with RF4 Special now out on the switch, I could not wait to revisit my old friends! Leon is one of my very favorite characters, so...this chapter happened! Enjoy!

She was so beautiful.

Even in the midst of battle, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Her skin glimmered with a faint sheen of sweat, her amazing hair whipped and snapped about her, and she wielded her dual blades like some Amazonian warrior goddess.

The final goblin pirate of the wave they had been fighting burst into a thousand particles of light to make its way back to the Forest, and Leon let his spear drop to his side, panting.

Anxious green eyes looked his way. “You okay?”

He smiled, tried to ignore the warm feeling that spread through him just from  _ meeting her eyes _ .

By the gods.

Realizing she was still waiting for an answer, he hastily nodded. “Hardly a scratch. And you—you’re unscathed?”

She smiled sheepishly, examining a gash on one of her lithe, muscled arms. “More or less.”

He held out a hand, gesturing for her to come closer. “Let me see.”

She obliged, grudgingly. With a sigh, she said, “It’s nothing serious, Leo. I promise.”

Even that ridiculously cute pet name she’d somehow come up with for him couldn’t distract him. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

She held still as he fussed, satisfying himself that the wound hadn’t gone too deep and no pieces of blade had broken off inside. Eventually, he pulled out two potions. He handed her one to drink and, uncorking the other with his teeth, poured it over the cut.

“Just as a precaution,” he murmured when she hissed.

That dealt with, Leon took a step back to put a decent amount of space between them. It wouldn’t do to have her think that he was basking in the presence of her body heat...or something.

“Well,” Frey said, sheathing her blades and placing her hands on her hips. “That takes care of Vishnal’s request.”

The affection in her voice as she said the other man’s name had Leon gritting his teeth, which was just plain ridiculous. He and Frey weren’t together—and neither were she and Vishnal. She just treated everybody in town with the same affection and care.

But even if she  _ was  _ in a relationship with another man, he had no right to be jealous. It was a fact Leon tried, and failed, to remind himself of every day.

A slim, calloused hand was being waved in front of his eyes, pulling him from his thoughts. “Ah, earth to Leo.” She said, sounding amused. When he focused on her again, she smiled. “There you are. So, do you feel like working your muscles a little more today, or should we head back to town?”

He quickly assessed her. Her eyes and smile were as bright as ever, but her shoulders were ever-so-slightly slumped with exhaustion. That she was even showing that much meant she was tired to the bone. “Let’s go home,” he replied. “I have a hot meal and a warm bath calling my name.”

“Ooh,” she laughed, reaching out to take his hand. “That sounds nice. Hold on tight!” Then there was the familiar  _ woosh _ , and the world dissolved into swirls of unspecified shapes and colors. It solidified again a few moments later into the scenery of Frey’s bedroom.

“You’ve been practicing,” he remarked, forcing himself to let go of her hand. “The jumps are getting faster.”

She beamed. “Thanks for noticing! Come on, I’ll walk you home. You got me in the mood for a bath, anyway.”

She met the words innocently, he had no doubt. All the same, Leon couldn’t stop the path his mind immediately took, completed by the mental image of water droplets sliding down her wet, mostly-naked body—

_ Nope _ , he chastised himself.  _ Don’t go there. No. _

They cut through the farm at the back of the castle, Frey pausing to check on a couple of her plants. Leon watched as she did so, smiling at the animation in her face as she watered and fertilized.

When they arrived inside the inn, Lin Fa spotted them instantly and gave Leon a knowing look. He pretended not to see it.

“Hi, Lin Fa!” Frey chirped. “Are the baths still open?”  
The inn owner shifted her attention to the young woman. “For you? Of course,” she smiled. “Go right on in.”

Frey smiled back. “You’re the best.” She turned to Leon. “Thanks for coming with me today. I like having you watch my back.”

A lewd, sarcastic comment was immediately on the tip of his tongue, but he managed to bite it back. “I—yeah. It was no trouble.”

She smiled again before her eyes suddenly opened wide. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She delved into her bag before emerging with a container that she thrust into his hands. “I thought you might like a pick-me-up. See you later!” With a wave at him and Lin Fa, she made her way into the women’s bath. The door fell shut behind her as Leon opened the container and peered inside. It held salted rainbow trout, one of his favorites.

Somehow, he wasn’t even surprised anymore.

He woke up early the next morning. Unable to fall back asleep and bored with the minimal entertainment his room offered, he decided to take a walk around town.

As he reached the town’s center, his thoughts busy with considering the benefits of fishing before the sun had even really properly risen, he heard the low murmur of voices. It was Frey, of course (who else would be awake this early?) and, from the looks of it, she was chatting casually with a tourist.

At least, it looked that way until Leon got close enough to see the slight strain on Frey’s face and the leer on the unknown man’s. Leon’s hackles went up, and he picked up the pace. The man was grabbing for her wrist now, and she looked like she wanted  _ out _ .

He all but skidded to a stop beside them. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asked.

The man gave him a passing glance. “Hey! What’s your deal?”

Frey, at least relaxed a little when she saw him. “Oh! Hi, Leo.”

The guy let go of her, thankfully, and turned to face Leon. “You wanna fight, brah? You’re gonna regret it if you don’t get lost.”

Leon ignored him in favor of looking to Frey. “Frey, what’s happening?”

“Hey!” The man cried. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Um,” Frey said. “Well. He asked me if I wanted to have tea with him.”

“Uh-huh.” Leon said. “And do you?”

The guy scoffed. “Of course she does. All the most bodacious babes always want to.”

_ That _ was certainly enough of that. “Get lost,” Leon growled, baring his teeth. Sometimes there were distinct advantages to retaining some foxy characteristics (heh), including his canines, which were just unusually long enough that one would not be incorrect in calling them fangs.

The ass scoffed. “Or what?”

“Leave!” Leon said, his voice bordering on a shout. “Or, if you prefer, I can just start throwing punches.”

He scoffed. “Whatever, I’ll let you both off easy today. I’m out—peace!”

Then he turned tail and ran in the opposite direction.

“That’s gratifying,” Leon said, watching him go.

“Umm…” Frey said from beside him and then, with a little nudge against his shoulder, “Thanks, brah.”

He couldn’t resist the smile that tugged at his lips as he turned to face her. “Are you okay?”

She waved airily. “All good over here.”

He rolled his eyes. “I hate jerks like that. Sorry-excuses for men, and they like going after people as pretty and cute as you are.”

He froze. Shit.

They stared at each other in silence.

“Huh?” Frey said.

He made a sound like “ah.”

“Oh,” she said, her expression clearing. “Is this about the  _ bodacious babes _ ?” She broke into giggles. “Can you believe that?”

He cleared his throat, taking the out. “I can’t believe he actually said the word ‘bodacious’ out loud, if that’s what you mean.”

Still giggling, she latched onto his wrist and started tugging him in the direction of the castle. “Come on, I’ll make us breakfast.”

He tried to fight off the immediate blush. “I’m not sure that’s a very good idea. It’s not very  _ proper _ , you know?”

She just smiled. “I’m sure no one would care. Except maybe Volkanon, but he's a stickler.” She moved a bit closer and waggled her eyebrows. “Come on, you know you want to.” She gave him an adorable little smirk. “Maybe I can even find some  _ highly dangerous  _ poisonous mushrooms to cook with.”

He wanted to. Oh, did he want to. Not only did it mean that he would be spending quality time with Frey, but it would also mean tasting Frey’s cooking, which even Porcoline had gone around publicly praising—although, to be fair, the man worshipped the ground she walked on, just like they all did. And yet…

“Come  _ on _ ,” she insisted, doubling her efforts.

Proud as he was of himself for attempting to resist, it turned out not to matter. Through a deadly combination of sheer force and pleading smiles, Frey got him into her room. Leon stopped struggling then, admitting defeat. “You are,” he said to her back as she released his wrist and went over to the cooking instruments lined up against one of her walls. “Far too crafty for your own good.”

She smiled slyly at him over her shoulder. “Would you say I’m a bit too  _ foxy _ ?” At his appalled look, she started to laugh. “Sit down; don’t just hover in the doorway.”

Leon looked around. “Er, where?”

“Go through the entryway straight ahead,” she replied, flicking a strand of green hair out of her face. “The table is impossible to miss. The damn thing is massive.”

Leon did as she said, walking forward until he reached a table that was—indeed—massive. He took a seat facing the larger, main room and waited patiently, his sensitive ears attuned to hear Frey quietly singing to herself as she cooked.

Her voice was simple and sweet with rich undertones—much like her, Leon thought with a smile. It relaxed him, being surrounded by the scent of and listening to the woman he loved. He was also much more tired than he had realized, and the combination had his eyelids sinking down and leading him into a deep, peaceful sleep before he knew what hit him.

When Frey stepped into the room several minutes later, laden with plates of steaming, fragrant food, she stopped short at the sight that greeted her.

With a fond smile, she set the dishes down and walked forward so she could (indulging a small guilty pleasure) run a hand over the fox-man’s ears. He murmured in his sleep, almost a purr, and tilted toward her. She laughed. “You proud, sweet boy.”

Channeling one of her wind run abilities, she held him slightly above the ground as she gently got him up from the table, back through to the main room, and into her bed. Smoothing the covers over him, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Sleep well,” she whispered, and started for her fields.

Something made her look back, though, when she reached the door leading outside. Whatever that something was, it let her watch as Leo rolled onto his side and, curling into a ball, pressed his face into her pillow. From where she was standing, almost none of the front of his body was now visible, save his ears and his gorgeous, flowing mane of hair.

And for whatever reason, an unexplainable feeling rose in Frey’s chest. It was tender and soft and bright, and it stayed with her as she stepped out into the fresh air and sunlight.

**Author's Note:**

> As a quick little note—the conversation Leo and Frey have with the guy is based on (with some lines taken directly from) Dylas's "Playboy Rob" event. I love the horse-boy, but this fic is all about Mr Sassy, so I just did some adjusting, and hopefully it still worked!
> 
> Thank you for reading! xx


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